1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the automatic loading of flexible magnetic disks, each one contained in a protective envelope into a writing and/or reading unit, said apparatus comprising a loading stacker in which the disks to be handled are arranged, and a receiving stacker in which the disks are stored after handling.
The magnetic disks handled by the apparatus forming the subject of the invention, known in the trade as floppy disks, are formed of a plastic or cardboard envelope inside which is arranged a flexible magnetic disk with a memory capacity of about 250 Kbyte.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a known apparatus of the type referred to above, the disks to be handled are arranged vertically side by side in a loading stacker placed on top of the writing unit, towards which the disk selected is pushed by a pair of entrainment rollers. In said known apparatus, a treated disk is pushed upwards by a special ejection device and again gripped by the entrainment rollers, which, by turning in the opposite direction carry the disk away from the writing unit and pile it upright in a receiving stacker flanking the loading stacker. Said apparatus, however, has the disadvantage of being too bulky, since its loading and receiving stackers are on top of the writing unit. In addition, the employment of a pair of rollers permanently gripping each other for the conveyance of the disk makes the apparatus poorly reliable, particularly during the extraction of already handled disks.